Joy to the World! The Curse is Broken!

Joy to the World!

Rev. Chris Polski

 

“There is as much difference between spiritual joys and earthly pleasures as between a banquet that is eaten and one that is painted on a wall.” Sir Thomas Watson

The theme for this Third Sunday of Advent is “Joy.”  But what is joy?

In our day and age the term joy has lost some of its spiritual meaning. Today, joy is considered by many to be a simple synonym for the emotional condition one derives from a pleasurable experience.  And so we say that watching our favorite team win a championship brought us great joy or eating a fabulous dinner gave us joy or receiving that Christmas bonus gave us a sense of joy.

But to use the term joy in this way strips it of its deeper spiritual value. In fact, in the scriptures the word joy most often refers to a sense of inner mirth or delight tied to a circumstance that may or may not necessarily be a happy one.  Joy speaks to a stable inner condition, rooted in Christ, that wavers not in the midst of changeable outward circumstances.

The great C.S. Lewis, in his account of his own conversion, reflected on the contrast between true joy and outer pleasure, saying:

“I doubt whether anyone who has tasted joy would ever, if both joy and pleasure were in his power, exchange joy for all the pleasures in the world. But then joy is never in our power and pleasure often is.” ― C.S. Lewis, Surprised by Joy

What Lewis meant when he said that joy, unlike pleasurable moments, is never in our power was that joy is not something we create—but something that we are given.

As we prepare to come and worship this Sunday we continue to reflect on the great advent Hymn, Joy to the World, and especially we come to reflect on the joy we have been given when we come to see that Christ has removed the curse and restored our relationship with the sovereign God of the universe.  Therein is true joy!